Demon Reincarnate
by wolfshade22x
Summary: Kagome encounters a certain white-haired reincarnation, but it's not Inuyasha. How can she live, loving the hanyou of the past and the demon lord's reincarnation of the future? KagSess, KagInu
1. Demon Reincarnate

Disclaimer: ...not mine...  
  
Chapter One ~ Demon Reincarnate  
  
Kagome took a deep breath as she stood warily on the stairway leading up to her school. She winced, wondering vaguely what new atrocious disease she'd been rumored to have, and yanked open the doorway.  
  
"Kagome!" three voices chirped happily. Bracing herself, she turned around, smiling wanly at her three friends – or used-to-be friends, anyways; she found the modern humans rather shallow compared to her companions in the Sengoku Jidai.  
  
"Ohayo, Eri, Ayumi, Yuka," she greeted calmly, her placid expression unfaltering. They began to circle around her like predatory animals, and she frowned, confused. "Um...guys, what are you doing?"  
  
"You've recovered really quickly," Eri remarked, "considering that Ebola has a 90 percent mortality rate. We were all so worried about you!"  
  
'Ebola? They thought I had Ebola?'  
  
"There was someone who worried about you more than we did, though," Yuka added, nudging Ayumi slightly, who grinned. "In fact, there he is now!"  
  
Kagome whirled, and groaned mentally. There stood the ever-persistent Hojo, holding out a package wrapped in metallic, sparkly, shiny, glittery, sequined, pink paper.  
  
She *hated* pink.  
  
Putting on her best fake smile, the one she reserved for both Hojo and Kouga – though she infinitely preferred being kidnapped and forced to fight against giant mutated birds than thanking the schoolboy – she began to walk towards him. A flash of silver-white hair caught her attention, however, and she craned her neck to look.  
  
It couldn't be.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Higurashi?" Hojo asked worriedly, still offering his bundle. She flashed him a brief smile, but he clearly sensed that she was preoccupied.  
  
Seeing the confused and annoyed glares her friends were sending her, she murmured apologetically, "It's nothing, Hojo. My...um...arthritis is merely throbbing a bit. I think I'll go take some of my medicine in the bathroom." She practically ran from him, but he called out after her.  
  
"Wait, Kagome, I have your medicine! Your grandpa asked me to pick it up for you after school!"  
  
"Oh...arigatou," Kagome thanked faintly, snatching the medication from his hands and fleeing. Hojo blinked after her, rather surprised.  
  
"I didn't know arthritic people could run like that," he muttered, before shrugging and turning away.  
  
*  
  
Kagome scanned the crowd of streaming students eagerly, trying to catch a glimpse of the white-haired boy she'd noticed earlier. Something about him was vaguely familiar – well, more than vaguely – and she needed to see him again. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't notice the previously mentioned youth step next to her.  
  
"Excuse me," he interrupted her concentration politely, "but you're standing in front of my locker."  
  
"Gomen," she said hastily, still looking for the boy who happened to be standing next to her.  
  
"Perhaps you didn't understand," he continued. "My previous comment was a subtle request for you to move." His sarcastic tone was completely ignored by the oblivious girl.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry –" she began, but at that minute she turned to glance up at the intruder, and she froze.  
  
Those eyes – she recognized those golden eyes, the piercing orbs glittering icily from a perfectly sculpted face. Devoid of any emotion, his eyes cut into her with the precision of knives, peering easily into her mind. She felt confused in his presence, as she always did, but this time the confusion was heightened by the sense that he clearly did not belong here.  
  
"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered.  
  
*  
  
He caught her as she fell swooning against him, her silky raven tresses cascading over his arm. She was surprisingly light, though by all appearances she didn't look much like the anorexic preps which made up most of the school. She was beautiful, but not starving; her flushed cheeks gave of the indication of health, along with the cherry tint of her lips and the grace with which she moved.  
  
'She even faints gracefully,' he noted with amusement, but the rare smile on his face was wiped off after he recalled the name she'd spoken. 'So she knows the title which has been haunting me for the past sixteen years. This girl could be the answer to all my queries.'  
  
Handing the girl's limp body over to her concerned classmates, he walked away, his immaculate hair swaying with each step.  
  
*  
  
"Ow..." Kagome muttered, sitting up. She blinked at her surroundings; she was in the dreaded nurse's office, with a raging headache. "My head hurts," she muttered to no one in particular.  
  
"Kagome, you're awake!' Ayumi's shrill screech carried in from the doorway, and the three girls piled in, obviously relieved that she wasn't dead. Not yet, anyways. "You're so lucky!"  
  
Staring at her incredulously, Kagome reiterated, "'Lucky'? Having a headache and completely embarrassing myself before some stranger is 'lucky'?"  
  
Eri smiled triumphantly. "However, to make up for all that, the stranger was Kiyoshi Taisho!"  
  
"...and I'm supposed to care why?"  
  
"He's adorable!" Yuka squealed. "Besides, you weren't there, so you don't know what happened. He reached out when you fainted and he CAUGHT YOU!"  
  
"Amazing, I'm sure," she retorted dryly. "That's not a feat everyone can accomplish. After all, it is so hard to catch someone who's falling right on top of you."  
  
"Stop being so pessimistic, Kagome," Eri scolded in her usual slightly bossy fashion. "He obviously likes you, judging by what he did next."  
  
"And what might that be?"  
  
"He handed you to us! He cares about you so much, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to restrain his passion any longer, so he relinquished you before he started giving in to his urges and kissed you!"  
  
Kagome blinked. Ok, so her friends were definitely strange and twisted.  
  
*  
  
He swept into his homeroom with somewhat of a flourish, causing all the girls to sigh dreamily and gaze up with adoring eyes.  
  
Well, most of the girls, anyways.  
  
Slipping behind a desk in the front row, he gazed slanted at the girl he was currently trailing. She was toying with a pencil, sketching tiny pictures of some sort of dog-eared freak.  
  
With inhuman speed, Kiyoshi snatched the paper off her binder, inspecting it closely. The resemblance was uncanny; the hanyou portrayed in the drawing was exactly the same as the one in his dreams.  
  
Blushing furiously, the girl grabbed the sheet back from him and stuffed it into a notebook. He watched her incuriously, but her discomfort prompted him to ask one more thing.  
  
"That is Inuyasha, is it not?"  
  
"How do you know about him?" she hissed, immediately reverting to a defensive tone. He shrugged absently, saying nothing.  
  
"Tell me!" she demanded through gritted teeth. "What is a youkai lord doing in modern Japan?"  
  
"The same as a schoolgirl would be doing in the Warring States, I suppose," he answered absently. Realizing what he'd just said, he froze, then reached out and grasped her wrist. "You did not just hear that," he growled. "It was a figment of your imagination."  
  
"Mind telling me exactly *what* was a figment of my imagination, oh almighty psychic?" she retorted insolently.  
  
He glared at her, moving even closer. "Don't say a word about this," he demanded. "I know everything. The well, the hanyou...myself..."  
  
Her surprise was evident as she leaned forwards curiously. "How...?" she breathed...  
  
"HIGURASHI AND TAISHO! This display of public affection will not be tolerated in MY class!" the teacher yelled, and it was only then that the two realized their close proximity. Yanking her hands from his with a startled 'eep!', Kagome buried her flaming face under her textbooks, leaving the astonished Kiyoshi glaring at the teacher.  
  
"Since this is your first week here, Taisho, I will dismiss your behavior for now. Kagome, I will do the same for you, since it happens to be your first day back from another of your prolonged sicknesses, but be warned that this is the last time." Whirling away from the stunned pair, he moved to the blackboard, where he proceeded to send the entire class to sleep using the never-failing power of optimization.  
  
'This is going to be a long day...' Kagome muttered.  
  
*  
  
As usual, when school ended, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka spent the entire walk back to their houses speaking of the latest gossip – which, in this case, was the supposed love rising between Kagome and Kiyoshi. Throughout this ordeal, Kagome did her best to ignore them, reminding herself that it was only one more day before she could return to the Sengoku Jidai for the weekend.  
  
'How ironic,' she mused. 'I spend hours persuading Inuyasha to let me come home, and now I want to go back. Actually, I'm no longer sure which is my real home anymore...'  
  
"Kagome..." an irritated voice growled, and she found herself looking at Kiyoshi, who'd apparently been trying to gain her attention for some time.  
  
"Oh, it's you," she remarked indifferently, brushing past him. He caught hold of her arm, however.  
  
"I need to know," he pleaded. "I need the truth: why did you kill me?"  
  
"Why did I *what*?" she exclaimed, turning to face him fully.  
  
Perplexed, he answered, "You killed me, you know. At any rate, you killed Sesshoumaru, who is me in a different form. Maybe you haven't done it yet..." He held out his hands hopelessly, and she took comfort in the fact that he was obviously as bewildered as she was.  
  
"You're wrong," she said coolly. "I'd never kill anyone."  
  
"Sure you're not just saying that cause the rumors around the school are true and you really loved Sesshoumaru?" Kiyoshi taunted playfully.  
  
She squinted at him. "Sure you're not really Miroku's reincarnation in disguise?"  
  
He lapsed into a thoughtful silence before replying, "The monk hadn't been sucked into the Kazaana when you pierced Sesshoumaru with your arrow."  
  
"You are Sesshoumaru," Kagome reminded him. "Stop speaking in third person."  
  
He whirled, anger blazing in his usually emotionless eyes. "I am *not* Sesshoumaru," he hissed venomously, and she was astonished at the virulence in that phrase. "Do you understand? I may be his reincarnation, but I am not him."  
  
"Fine," Kagome replied, slightly huffy. "You don't have to get all offended. Excuse me for calling you someone with your exact appearance, same demeanor, and most likely matching DNA pattern."  
  
His eyes filled with pain, but she didn't see. Sighing as he watched her retreating back, he thought, 'How can I make you see that I am not the cold, ruthless killer my predecessor was? How can I explain that my emotional capacities are extremely different? Is there any way to prove that I am someone of my own, not just a reincarnation?  
  
'How can I show you that I can love?' 


	2. Seeing Truth

Disclaimer: Not mine...*sniff*  
  
Chapter Two ~ Seeing Truth  
  
Kiyoshi was waiting for her when she groggily stomped out of her house, his golden eyes scanning her weary face. "Ohayo, Kagome," he said quietly; she nodded absently at him, preoccupied in doing her math homework.  
  
His amusement showed clearly as he asked innocently, "It may simply be a habit of yours, but isn't homework supposed to be done at home?"  
  
"Yes, well, no one ever does it at home," she snapped sharply, struggling with optimization. "Sesshoumaru was just a perfectionist, that's all."  
  
Kiyoshi's smile faded reluctantly. He glanced down at her paper doubtfully, but said nothing. Tired of his constant peeks at her homework, Kagome finally looked up at him. "All right, Taisho, what is it?"  
  
"You forgot to take the derivative of the volume before you set the equation equal to zero," he replied lightly, ignoring the way she gaped at him.  
  
"You know how to do this stuff?" she squealed, shoving her papers into his arms. "Please do my homework! Please? I'll do anything!"  
  
He laughed, but accepted her pencil, scribbling across the packet. She blinked as answers magically appeared under his skilled fingers, graphs of parabolas and hyperboloids alike. "How'd you get that?" she demanded, gesturing at a series of number lines marked with various arrows.  
  
"Well, once you solve for x, after rejecting any impossible answers, you can use either the second derivative's concavity or the first derivative's sign to determine whether x is a maximum or minimum," he explained patiently.  
  
She blinked.  
  
"I've decided," Kagome mused slowly, "I am never going to ask you how to do anything again."  
  
He smirked triumphantly and handed back her papers, completely finished. She threw her arms around him in a brief hug, shrieking, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou" at the top of her lungs, and then, apparently embarrassed at the short display of insanity, scrambled on the bus. He followed leisurely, sliding in next to her.  
  
Whispers broke out among the occupants of the bus as the students did their best to steal peeks at the pair without either Kagome or Kiyoshi noticing. Kiyoshi had inherited more than Sesshoumaru's looks, however; turning, he veritably growled at the others, all of whom squeaked in fear and subsided.  
  
The doors swung open and everyone hopped off the vehicle. Kagome scanned the swarm anxiously, suddenly giving a soft scream and hiding behind Kiyoshi.  
  
He peered down at her, confused. "What are you hiding from?"  
  
"He's holding it," she whispered, terrified.  
  
"Who is? Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
Trembling, the girl's hand extended, pointing directly at someone standing across from them.  
  
"Kuso," Kiyoshi whispered, truly in awe at the revoltingness of the thing. Behind him, Kagome gave off a small whimper, still attempting to shield herself.  
  
The boy across the hall looked anxious, still holding his gift. Frowning, Hojo caught a glimpse of Kagome's yellow backpack which, no matter how Kiyoshi tried to obscure it, would not be hidden. He marched over triumphantly.  
  
"Higurashi, there you are! I bought this for you as a get-well gift, since your grandfather mentioned that you were having bouts of dizziness and would most likely not be in school for the next few days. Here!" He held out his present, expecting her to be delighted.  
  
A tremor spread through her body as she gingerly took the thing with two fingers, desperately trying not to retch. Hojo beamed, pleased with what he thought was happiness on her part. "Thanks, Hojo," Kagome lied, desperately kicking Kiyoshi in the shin to keep him from exploding with laughter.  
  
"I thought you'd like her. Her name's Sakura; isn't she pretty?"  
  
"She's...unique," the girl replied eloquently, avoiding looking at the repulsing doll. The toy's scraggly straw-yellow hair fell out in clumps, and the string of cranes around her thick neck, which was supposed to help heal the sickness, appeared to be more ostriches than cranes. She was dressed in a faded piece of what might have been wool after being shredded in a food processor.  
  
"You're too kind, Hojo," Kagome murmured prettily, smiling at the suddenly speechless boy. "You really should stop bringing me such...wonderful...gifts."  
  
At this, Kiyoshi could no longer restrain his mirth, and burst out laughing, drawing fearful looks from the people around him, who slowly began backing away. Kagome blushed, grabbed the crazed reincarnation by the hand, and dragged him down the hallway to a deserted classroom.  
  
"KIYOSHI..." she intoned wickedly.  
  
He stopped laughing instantaneously as she advanced. "Uh...Kagome?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You know how you mentioned you'd do anything if I did your homework?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Don't kill me!" With that, Kiyoshi sprinted out of the room, gaining a few more wary glances from the teachers, and bolted into his chair just before the bell rang.  
  
'Hmm. I wonder how Kagome will be able to excuse herself from this one. After all, I was barely on time...'  
  
The door swung open, and Kagome sauntered arrogantly in, flicking her hair as if she owned the school.  
  
"Higurashi! That's a detention for you! You've gone too far this time, being almost five minutes late!"  
  
"I'm sorry, sensei, but my headaches are becoming more frequent," Kagome apologized, pretending to stumble as she passed Kiyoshi's desk. Her heel ground into his foot for one second before she 'recovered' and walked over to her own chair.  
  
The teacher nodded curtly, but remained cold. "You are excused, Higurashi, but next time you feel sick, be sure to check with me before wandering to the nurse's office."  
  
"Of course, sensei," she acknowledged, pulling out her textbook and laying it on the desk. Kiyoshi grinned faintly as she pulled out the homework and laid it on top of the cover with a defiant glance at the troublesome boy, who merely smirked.  
  
"Who would like to demonstrate the first problem?" the professor asked, gazing eagerly around, expecting a volunteer. When no one replied (big surprise there) he indicated Kagome. "Well, Higurashi, since you've been out so often, let's see if you know how to do these."  
  
She stood, clasping the homework sheet like a lifeline, and moved to the board. Scribbling down everything as Kiyoshi had written it, she sat triumphantly back down.  
  
The teacher nodded as he examined her (or, in this case, Kiyoshi's) work. "Very impressive, Higurashi. Now, if you could explain it to us...?"  
  
"Well...um...the number over here is set equal to...um...I think that's an x. And since you know that 3x/4 is equal to 2y+1, you can solve for y in terms of x, using some proportional thingy or other." She paused, scanning the board.  
  
Kiyoshi placed his head on the desk. The girl was hopeless.  
  
"Okay, then you find the interval, and moving a few of the numbers around randomly, you get something with x on the interval (0, something). Then you want to maximize – oh, wait, that says minimize – the area, so you want to minimize xy, which equals x times the other thing which I can't read, because of my bad handwriting."  
  
By now, the entire class was snickering, with the exception of Kiyoshi, who was doing his best not to jump out the window at this complete lack of mathematical skills.  
  
"Right. So you get this equation, and you set that equal to zero because...um...just because. And you solve for x, and get this other number I still can't read, and then you stick it on a number line, draw funny arrows, find that x is indeed the correct x, and that's all," she concluded, sitting back down.  
  
The teacher looked about to faint, and no one in the class could blame him. With a sigh, Kiyoshi stood, knowing full well that his next action would probably send even more rumors spreading. "Sensei," he explained, "she was tutoring me yesterday on this topic and I was wondering whether I could demonstrate it to the class, seeing as her mind's obviously overworked along with the dizziness she's been experiencing."  
  
"Very well," was his answer, and Kiyoshi swept to the board, easily explaining the problem.  
  
"I get it now!" Kagome chirped gleefully, and everyone turned to stare at her, again excepting Kiyoshi, who was now contemplating the fire escape.  
  
'How stupid can someone get?!'  
  
*  
  
Kagome was still perplexed as to why her new companion kept giving her dubious looks as they walked home from school. "What is it?" she demanded finally, getting slightly pissed.  
  
"How did you manage to stay in honors classes with your abilities?"  
  
She glared at him. "My skills are impeccable!"  
  
"Hardly," he countered, not fearing her wrath. "That explanation you gave earlier today..."  
  
"Excuse me if your handwriting looks like mongoose tracks!"  
  
"If your skills are so perfected, you should have been able to manage the homework without me!"  
  
Snorting, both charged off in opposite directions.  
  
*  
  
Pulling herself out of the well, Kagome smiled at the sight of Inuyasha trying to hide. He'd obviously been just about to go 'kidnap' her again, though he was trying to act normal.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she called. "You can come out now! I see you!"  
  
He slunk out furtively, but his expression brightened when she tossed a package of ramen at him. "Have fun," she said sarcastically, as he raced off to show his prize to Miroku and Sango.  
  
Shippou bounced joyfully out at her, the kitsune's delight evident in his hyperactive squeals. She bent to pet the fluffy tail, but a call from next to her caused her to whirl.  
  
Sango was standing there, panting, Kirara nowhere in sight. "Kagome!" she yelled. "Miroku and Inuyasha are in trouble!"  
  
The miko raced after her friend instantly. Stopping before the clearing, she froze. Miroku was leaning against a tree, blood dripping from a slash across his forehead, his amethyst eyes closed. Inuyasha was wounded as well, though the damage inflicted on him was more minor.  
  
Kagome looked at the antagonist and froze, her arrow poised on the bowstring. Kiyoshi was lashing out at the hanyou with poison-dripping claws.  
  
She couldn't release the arrow.  
  
'It's Sesshoumaru, not Kiyoshi!' she told herself, but her fingers wouldn't loosen the tiniest bit.  
  
'Inuyasha's going to die!' she screamed mentally, and at this she finally let go of the bowstring, but jerked away at the last second, so the arrow arced gracefully to sizzle through the youkai lord's side. It was not a mortal wound, and of that Kagome was glad.  
  
"I will keep my promise to Kiyoshi," she whispered as Sesshoumaru soared away. "If he dies, it will not be at my hands." 


	3. Confusion

Disclaimer: Ahsayuni ton enim...can you read that?  
  
Chapter Three ~ Confusion  
  
Pacing nervously in Kaede's home, Kagome pondered on how she was going to explain this one to Inuyasha. Certainly, she had a reputation for being merciful...but this was going a bit far. She'd purposely spared the life of a murderer who'd been about to slay the hanyou she loved.  
  
Damn, her life was getting complicated.  
  
Of course, she could attribute it to crosswinds, or perhaps she could cut her hand and say that the pain had reduced her archery skills. Unfortunately, there were no winds, and Inuyasha would be able to tell that the wound was recent if she tried the latter option.  
  
She sighed disparagingly and threw herself down on the bed. 'I'm too young to die...' she protested. 'After all, in this era, I haven't even been born yet!'  
  
That was when someone entered the enclosure.  
  
Namely, Inuyasha.  
  
Who was one steaming, livid, and very pissed hanyou.  
  
After consistent sitting, he finally agreed to listen to her version of the story. In the time it'd taken her to subdue him, she'd been able to come up with a fabricated version.  
  
"Well," she began nervously, "I know how you always talk about honor, and all that junk."  
  
Eying her suspiciously, he nodded – or tried to, anyways, with his face still plastered to the ground.  
  
"So I figured...since you were fighting him, you wouldn't want your honor disturbed by having your opponent killed by someone else."  
  
He acknowledged that, looking thoughtful. "Is that all?" he inquired.  
  
She nodded nervously.  
  
"I have no need for honor concerning Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha roared. "Why the hell didn't you kill him?"  
  
Kagome groaned. This was going to be a long day.  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha was finally forced to listen to reason, and forgave Kagome after she made three pots of ramen just for him. Exasperated, she picked up the empty containers and tucked them neatly into her backpack. "You're such a slob," she remarked fondly.  
  
He laughed, still gobbling the last few mouthfuls. Moving over to her so he could hand back the pots, he froze. He sniffed the air delicately.  
  
"Kagome," he began, "why do you smell like Sesshoumaru?"  
  
'Kiyoshi was with me the entire day! Kuso!'  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Um..."  
  
"You haven't been seeing him, have you?" Inuyasha continued, his tone deadly. "Perhaps that's the reason why you couldn't kill him today?"  
  
Noticing her lack of a reply, he glared at her. "You bitch, get out of my sight! Now!"  
  
Picking up her backpack, Kagome turned and ran for the well, ignoring the tears which threatened to flow down her cheeks.  
  
*  
  
She scrambled into the wellhouse, trying not to cry. Stepping out into the sunlight, she surveyed modern Japan.  
  
'Inuyasha will never accept Kiyoshi...and I can never reject him.'  
  
She began to move towards the shrine, her head downcast. A hand on her shoulder alarmed her, but she recognized Kiyoshi's worried voice. "Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
"Go away!" she cried, lashing out at him. 'I can't deal with this...'  
  
He recoiled, staring at her in disbelief. "Kagome..."  
  
"Just...leave me alone..." she whispered.  
  
Then he understood, and disappointment flashed in his eyes. "You saw him, didn't you," he accused. "You saw Sesshoumaru." Anger clouded his features. "I thought you'd be able to realize that we're not the same person, seeing that you're Kikyo's reincarnation. I thought there was someone who could listen to me..."  
  
"No! Kiyoshi, I do understand..."  
  
His smile was bitter, with none of the playfulness she'd admired before. "You understand? Then you're just too cowardly to be with me. Your precious hanyou wouldn't want you to associate with me, is that correct?"  
  
Her anguished expression didn't dissuade his rant. "So, you're afraid of hurting Inuyasha. Ever thought about how you're hurting me?" He yanked up one side of his shirt, revealing a crimson gash, and Kagome gasped. "I don't know why the hell this is happening to me, but every time Sesshoumaru is wounded, the same wound appears on me."  
  
She reached out a trembling hand, but withdrew instantly. He laughed derisively.  
  
"You're face with somewhat of a conflict, aren't you, Kagome? You can keep pretending to Inuyasha, you can keep telling him lies, but what about the end?"  
  
"The end..." she reiterated, tonelessly.  
  
"Yes, the end. The last battle. You'll have to kill Sesshoumaru, Kagome. And for some inexplicable reason, we're connected. It most likely has something to do with the way you travel between times, since you're the only person who can evoke this effect."  
  
He looked at her, something akin to icy mockery in his eyes.  
  
"Poor, innocent Kagome," he said quietly, and she realized that he'd been laughing at himself. "That's a choice you'll be forced to make. You can still change history, Kagome. What I see in my mind every night, while I'm dreaming...the past can be remolded to your wishes. Just remember this.  
  
"If Sesshoumaru dies, so do I."  
  
*  
  
"You did WHAT?" Sango shrieked, after hearing Inuyasha's rendition of his conflict with Kagome. "You...you BAKA! You basically called her a slut!"  
  
"I did no such thing!" the hanyou retorted, affronted, but he couldn't sway the taijiya.  
  
"Oh, and after you keep sneaking off to see Kikyo, too! I wouldn't be surprised if she never comes back!"  
  
"She'll come back..."  
  
"You always say that! Did it ever occur to your miniscule mind that she may not *like* always being the alternate in your love life? You inconsiderate jerk!" With that last scathing insult, she stormed off.  
  
Miroku and Inuyasha stared at her retreating back. "She's right, you know," Miroku began, in a conversational tone.  
  
"Don't even start," the hanyou grumbled, racing away to situate himself before the edge of the well.  
  
*  
  
Kagome pored over her math textbooks, writing out the ten problems assigned each night. (A/N: For those of you who don't know, optimization is a thoroughly irritating process that takes a really long time.) Her weariness soon grew apparent in the deterioration of her handwriting, and she collapsed back on her bed.  
  
'What am I going to do? If I change the past, the entire future will change as well...I could end up killing those I love.  
  
'And if I change the past, Inuyasha could die...  
  
'Why do I even care about Kiyoshi? He's just some boy from my school. It's not like I care about him.  
  
'But I can't force him to die. I'm not a murderer!  
  
'And there's Sango, Miroku, and Shippou. What if I end up hurting everyone I care for?  
  
'Sometimes, I think they'd be better off without me. Maybe I should seal up the well forever and forget anything that happened. After all, Inuyasha has his precious Kikyo...'  
  
Sobbing, the girl buried her face in the comforting pillows.  
  
*  
  
Kiyoshi wasn't there the next day. Waiting for him at his locker before homeroom, Kagome gazed around the hall eagerly, searching for the distinctive silvery hair. He didn't come, and she had to scramble to make it to math, where she completely embarrassed herself before the entire class.  
  
Eri accosted her after math. "Kagome, you look really tired. Are you staying up all night thinking about Taisho Kiyoshi?"  
  
"Something like that," she replied tiredly, trying to conceal a yawn.  
  
Eri squealed in delight. "So, you really do like him! Kagome and Kiyoshi...that's such a great pair of names! I'm going to tell Yuka and Ayumi!"  
  
"No, Eri! Wait..."  
  
The hyperactive girl had already rushed off, however, so all Kagome could do was lean against Kiyoshi's locker with a sigh.  
  
"What's that I hear about Kagome and Kiyoshi?" a familiar voice teased, and she flung herself away from the locker, glaring at Kiyoshi.  
  
"So, you're here. Where were you all during math?"  
  
He grinned at that, though she could still sense the unveiled anger in his eyes, which terrified her. Sesshoumaru never betrayed his emotions; if his reincarnation was furious enough to show his feelings, she was certain she'd be facing an extremely livid person quite soon.  
  
"I was asleep," he answered nonchalantly. "But the real reason I came..." His smile disappeared in a flash as he watched her reaction. "Will you kill me?"  
  
"I...don't know..."  
  
He watched her curiously, like a predator. Discomfited by his piercing stare, she pleaded, "Please, Kiyoshi, I don't know how it'll affect Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Souta, Mother, or anyone else I love!" More quietly, she added, "I don't know how it will affect Inuyasha."  
  
Sighing, he nodded in acquiescence. "All right, Kagome, but you'll be forced to make the choice in a week," he said softly.  
  
"One week?"  
  
He nodded. "Another thing," Kiyoshi remarked suddenly. "You know how I never act natural around you?"  
  
She agreed calmly, confused as to his intent. She'd always assumed that it was because she'd killed him, the past him, but apparently it was something different. He always seemed skittish, perhaps, or overly taunting.  
  
"Well, it's time for that façade to go down," he purred softly. Kiyoshi glanced around at the crowded halls, then bent and pressed his lips to hers.  
  
She froze, a strange buzzing in her ears, and her body subconsciously melded into his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss, ignoring the shocked gasps from the various students watching the scene.  
  
Finally pulling himself away, Kiyoshi laughed at himself. "Well," he whispered, "it seems as if I've fallen in love with my assassin."  
  
Turning, he sauntered away, leaving a stunned Kagome leaning against the wall. 


	4. Betrayal

Disclaimer: The plot is mine. The Inuyasha isn't.  
  
Chapter Four ~ Betrayal  
  
'One week...' That thought continued to reverberate in Kagome's mind as she moved throughout the rest of the school day, her attention occupied with things more interesting than Shakespeare's plays. For Kami-sama's sake, the ancient poet didn't even talk right! All this fame, and he couldn't even come up with an insult better than, 'Thou vile scoundrel'?  
  
She spent the entire English class passing notes with Kiyoshi, whose subtlety had to be admired. He could fold the most intricate designs with sheets of notebook paper, and he'd stuff them in places unheard of; the first message arrived shoved in the cap of his pen after she'd asked to borrow one.  
  
Unfortunately, she was not as imaginative, nor as surreptitious, and before long...  
  
"Higurashi! Hand me that note!"  
  
Mentally, she groaned, and she heard Kiyoshi do it out loud, since the information they'd been discussing was rather...private. She woefully relinquished the paper, praying for the teacher not to read it out loud.  
  
"Well, Higurashi, Taisho, I think as an example to the class, I will read your conversation out loud."  
  
Heaven hated her.  
  
"Please, sensei," Kagome begged, "I'll never do it again!"  
  
"Yeah, neither will I! Just don't read it out loud!" Kiyoshi added frantically.  
  
Glancing at the two students suspiciously, the professor scanned the contents of the note, his expression changing drastically from surprised to disgusted to delighted. "Why, this is too good to waste! I can't let you get by with only a warning. Perhaps I should photocopy this and tape it across the school! But first, let's let the class point out the grammatical errors."  
  
Moving to the board, the teacher copied down every aspect of the message:  
  
'Hey Kag!'  
'Kiyoshi...we're not supposed to be passing notes...'  
'Well, who listens to that asshole teaching, anyways? So, what's new?  
'Not much...did you mean what you said earlier?'  
'And what would that be?'  
'Ugh! Kiyoshi! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!'  
'Well, firstly, was I a good kisser?'  
  
As soon as the professor had finished that sentence, the entire class burst into laughter, Kagome's face turned a bright crimson, and Kiyoshi tried – futilely – to run out the door, but he was stopped by a hall monitor who pushed him back in the room.  
  
"How...interesting. Don't worry, there's more," the teacher informed the class, trying not to snicker himself.  
  
'Um...I guess...'  
'You guess? Wow, you're really good for my ego.'  
'Fine, you were! Happy now?'  
'Delighted. And by the way, the answer to your previous question is  
perhaps.'  
'Damn it!'  
'What? You were hoping for a firm negative?'  
'Well...yes...because of, you know, Inuyasha...'  
'Still bound to your bastard, I see.'  
'Don't call him that!' 'Why? Sesshoumaru calls him that often enough. I reserve the privilege.'  
'I suppose...'  
'So, now that I've admitted that I love you, what's your decision?'  
'My decision? It's' (A/N: At this point the note was intercepted.  
MWAHAHAHA!)  
  
Kagome was trying to hide behind Kiyoshi, who was trying to jump out the window. This resulted in somewhat of a precarious balance. The class was in hysterics by now, with the obvious exception of the two victims.  
  
"I'm moving," Kagome muttered to Kiyoshi.  
  
"Take me with you," he replied hopelessly.  
  
*  
  
"You love each other? That's so sweet!" Ayumi shrieked in delight, accosting Kiyoshi and Kagome during lunch.  
  
"Um...Ayumi..."  
  
"Yeah, really! And you never bothered telling us?" Yuka interrupted.  
  
"Well, she told me! Except I never knew that Taisho loved you back!" Eri squealed.  
  
"Higurashi?" a very hurt, very quiet voice asked.  
  
'Oh, great. Kuso. How am I going to explain this?'  
  
"Konnichiwa, Hojo," she replied wearily.  
  
"Higurashi, was this the reason why you always have something else to do during our dates?"  
  
Noticing that her friends were all sidling away during this growingly uncomfortable confrontation, she glanced at Kiyoshi for help, only to find that he'd followed the example of her other companions. Mentally reminding herself to kill all those betrayers once she escaped from Hojo, she quickly replied, "Of course not, Hojo. I just usually don't feel good. You know those spurts of sickness I get."  
  
Brightening, he answered, "Of course! So is that date on Friday still on?"  
  
"Well, actually, I feel sort of sick right now. I'll call you if I feel too bad on Friday, but I'll probably go with you!" she called cheerfully, though she had no intention of doing anything like that.  
  
"All right, Higurashi! See you!" the clueless boy called, his smile back on his face.  
  
'One down,' Kagome thought, 'Inuyasha to go.'  
  
*  
  
The rest of the day wasn't as bad as she'd assumed it would be. Managing to rip down the copies of her conversation with Kiyoshi as quickly as they were posted, only the students from her English class knew about their supposed romantic relationship.  
  
As soon as she returned home, she threw herself in the shower, scrubbing off any trace of Kiyoshi's scent she may have had on her. Pulling on a simple t-shirt and pair of shorts, she grabbed her pack and moved to the well house.  
  
She leapt in, but instead of the familiar disorientating swirl of the time portal, she smashed into the bottom of the well. Confused, her hand flew up to her throat, searching for the jewel shards.  
  
Her hand encountered only bare skin.  
  
Straightening, she glanced around for the chain, suspecting that she might have dropped it on her way. That was when she felt it: the presence of a large amount of the shards, moving towards her.  
  
Other than Naraku, she thought she'd been the only one who possessed that many.  
  
She scrambled out of the well, moving towards the door, but someone stepped in before she could do it.  
  
"Kiyoshi?"  
  
He held up his hand. A thin chain dangled there, along with the Shikon shards, glimmering faintly.  
  
"Sorry, Kagome," he said quietly. "I thought you wouldn't notice, seeing as you were preoccupied with other things."  
  
"That...was when you were kissing me," she whispered, staring in disbelief.  
  
"I'm sorry," he reiterated. "But I don't want to die."  
  
"You made me think you cared for me so you could steal the jewels?" she asked, her voice still soft. Betrayal followed her everywhere; Inuyasha running off to be with Kikyo, and now Kiyoshi, pledging his love to her so he could steal the one thing letting her communicate with the Feudal Era.  
  
"Yes..." he admitted reluctantly.  
  
"I've lost everything," she mumbled, reminiscing about Inuyasha's expression when he'd accused her of contacting Sesshoumaru. "Everything..."  
  
Kiyoshi watched as she stumbled out of the wellhouse in a daze, her tears glistening like miniscule replicas of the jewel before slipping to the ground and shattering into a million tiny fragments.  
  
*  
  
He couldn't help but feel the guilt, after seeing the girl run out of the well. 'If anything,' he thought, 'I have to explain this to her companions before they think she's betrayed them.' It caused him to shudder momentarily at the thought that he was the betrayer, the one who'd stabbed a mental knife into her already fragile heart and twisted.  
  
The well wouldn't accept him.  
  
Peering more closely at the jewel fragments, he frowned. 'Why won't it let me through? If it has something to do with Kagome...'  
  
Turning, he raced out of the wellhouse, only to see the dazed girl wander out into the street, unnoticing of the cars converging on either side of her.  
  
That was a really short chapter. Sorry! However, it was also my first cliffie...although that situation has been stereotyped and all, I sorta ran out of ideas. ~Wolfshade 


	5. Letting It Go

Disclaimer: Not mine!!!!!  
  
Chapter Five ~ Letting It Go  
  
She stumbled, head cast downwards, ignoring the vehicles rushing towards her. 'I've lost everything, everyone...I might as well die. Death doesn't seem so bad...I'll have no feelings, no pain...no love.'  
  
A sudden impact in her side sent her careening to the other side of the road. Winded, she managed to push herself up just in time to hear the futile screeching of brakes, and to see the body being flung into the air, silvery-white hair trailing behind.  
  
"Kiyoshi!"  
  
*  
  
Pain, lancing through every inch of his body, was what woke him. He forced open his golden eyes, blinking at the absolute darkness surrounding him. Silence hung over him – a heavy silence that refused to be broken by any sound other than his ragged moaning.  
  
A light clicked on overhead, and he stared into the cool sapphire orbs, unable to remember how he'd gotten here in the first place.  
  
"So, you cared after all," Kagome remarked, gently touching the bandage wrapped around his chest. "Pity you didn't wake up a few hours earlier; your fan club was here."  
  
"I'm sure the doctors appreciated that," he joked, despite the pain.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure they did, since there was a really cute surgeon that the girls couldn't keep their eyes off of."  
  
He smirked slyly. "Did you think he was cute?"  
  
Just to annoy him, she nodded demurely, gazing coquettishly at him through her long lashes. "Of course."  
  
"Cuter than me?"  
  
"Hmm." She considered that thoughtfully before finally replying, "Yes, I think so."  
  
"You must be blind then. No one's cuter than me." He grinned, as did she, but the smile faded when he realized that his hand was empty.  
  
"Kiyoshi, what's wrong?"  
  
He winced, turning away from her.  
  
"Kiyoshi?" she inquired doubtfully, surprised at his anger.  
  
"Where are the jewel shards?" he demanded flatly.  
  
Her eyes narrowed, and she flung the orb onto his bed. "There. That's all you care about, isn't it? Well, you can have it, you can leave me here without any hope of seeing my friends again! You're the same as Sesshoumaru, an egotistical unfeeling jerk who doesn't think of anyone save himself! You...you bastard!" Kagome rarely used profanity, and Kiyoshi winced subconsciously, sighing.  
  
"Kagome," he replied, "do me a favor and shut up."  
  
She stood seething, her hands clenched at her side. He tried to sit up, groaning and falling back onto the pillow. Seeing her triumphant smirk, he growled softly. "Sadist."  
  
After another moment, he managed to rise to a sitting position, pointedly ignoring the deadly glares she was shooting him. He gazed into the halfway- completed Shikon jewel, at his reflection, and he saw the future.  
  
Shadows, streaming through the jewel – Kagome's face, streaked with tears – and an arrow, streaking towards him; him, not Sesshoumaru, imbedding in his side, sending him hurtling to the ground, and Kagome slowly lowering her bow...  
  
He glanced up at her again before tossing the jewel to her. "Keep it," he said softly.  
  
"Kiyoshi..."  
  
He flashed her one of his quirky smiles. "I'd die either way," he said, refusing to elaborate when Kagome shot him a puzzled look. "However...I'm coming with you into the well the next time you go."  
  
She frowned pensively but nodded. "All right, then. Do you think you can get ready in an hour?"  
  
*  
  
"Damn, this hurts," Kiyoshi whined, staggering alongside the girl, who was doing her best not to laugh.  
  
"At least you managed to avoid most of the car's blow or you wouldn't even be able to walk," she pointed out, though she was glad that he was well enough to whine.  
  
He cast her a rueful grin. "This is the last time I'm ever saving you from those evil cars! Ow..."  
  
"Now you're just faking," she insisted, and he nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, perhaps I am..."  
  
Kagome waited at the edge of the well, having already dropped her backpack down. She seized his hand, waiting until he was ready, before they both leapt in. The disorientating time swirl enveloped them, and when they dropped into the Feudal Era, Kiyoshi let out a prolonged groan of distress that set Kagome into another round of laughter.  
  
Hopping out of the well and yanking her friend after her, they scanned the area for Inuyasha, not noticing the gleaming golden eyes surveying them from above.  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha's mood brightened as he noticed Kagome's scent drifting towards him, but he froze as Sesshoumaru's wafted forward as well. Lifting Tetsusaiga, he raced over to the well, pausing when he noticed the two figures moving towards him.  
  
Kagome smiled coolly as he neared. "Hello, Inuyasha," she remarked calmly.  
  
"You...and Sesshoumaru...what the fuck?"  
  
"Sit, Inuyasha! This isn't Sesshoumaru – "  
  
Her words were cut off as a tall figure leapt lightly down beside the cursing hanyou, his claws at Inuyasha's neck. "No, that isn't Sesshoumaru," the taiyoukai hissed, "because I am."  
  
*  
  
Sesshoumaru's claws drew thin beads of blood as he increased the pressure on his half-brother's neck. He sensed the fear in the miko's eyes and he reveled in it, but his gaze shifted to the boy standing next to her.  
  
It was like staring into a mirror. The same aristocratic features, the immaculate silver-shot hair, the golden orbs flashing like fire. There was one surreptitious difference in the youth he now took to be his reincarnation – those eyes showed compassion, love, and Sesshoumaru would never be caught dead with those emotions.  
  
Still pressing down on Inuyasha's neck, the taiyoukai smirked icily at Kagome. "Well, looks like your bastard lover's about to meet the fate he deserves," he hissed, poison dripping from his claws.  
  
She raised her bow, casting Kiyoshi an anguished glance, but his face was strangely stony. She had known the hanyou longer, had loved him longer, but then again, he was literally a thing of the past. And Kiyoshi gave her hope for the future.  
  
'I can't do this...'  
  
The arrow, tense on the string, and Sesshoumaru, his claws ready for slaughter, a compromise from which someone wouldn't walk away.  
  
"Damn it, Kagome, will you get this ass off me –"Inuyasha began, but his words were cut off as Sesshoumaru casually pushed him even further down into the earth. "Come on, just kill my fucking brother and his reincarnation already, why don't you?'  
  
'I can't do this!'  
  
"Kagome, hurry up! I can't *ack* breathe here!"  
  
Sesshoumaru let off a short bark of cruel laughter. "Let's make a deal, shall we, Kagome? I'll take the Shikon, and you can have your precious hanyou back."  
  
And then she knew. Her arrow streaked through the air, slicing through the façade, and Naraku let out a stream of steady curses as Kagura whisked him away. Growling, Inuyasha pulled himself up from the ground, and from the look in his eyes, he wasn't pleased.  
  
"Um...would this be a bad time to introduce you to Kiyoshi?"  
  
*  
  
Miroku grinned sheepishly as Sango proceeded to whack apart the last of the demons. "You know, houshi-sama, you could help," she suggested pointedly.  
  
"Oh, but my hand is broken in thirteen different places," he retorted, just as suggestively.  
  
"And whose fault would that be?" she muttered, shifting another few steps away from the lecherous monk. Both paused when they heard Inuyasha's faint yells. Without even glancing at each other, they took off simultaneously for the campsite, Shippou scrambling behind to catch up with Kirara.  
  
They stepped into the campsite and stopped, peering at the strange scene before them. Shippou, with his usual tact, squealed, "Kagome, what are you doing with Sesshoumaru? I thought you were with Inu!"  
  
"Why would I want a two-timing bitch like her?" Inuyasha screeched indignantly.  
  
Kagome shook with fury. Concentrating, she roared, "HYPOCRITE!"  
  
Silence. A few birds flew away, shrieking.  
  
"You know what?" Inuyasha snarled. "Just get out. I don't need you anymore. You reincarnations –"he spat the word like a curse – "can go fuck yourselves. I don't care anymore."  
  
"Oh yeah? And who are you getting to sense your jewels for you?"  
  
He beckoned to the trees. She came gliding out, surrounded by the undulating soulstealers, and wrapped her arms coyly around the hanyou. Her empty, dead eyes stared coldly at Kagome. "As you can see, there is no need for you to stay."  
  
"I don't plan to," Kagome replied coolly, trying to stop the tears from overflowing her eyes. Grabbing Kiyoshi's hand, she tugged him towards the well, but collapsed as soon as they were out of sight. "I can't leave him," she sobbed into his shoulder, clutching at his shirt.  
  
"Shh, Kag, it's ok," he soothed. "He doesn't seem all that great to me, personally, and from what Sesshoumaru feels about him, he's a bastard..."  
  
She recoiled viciously. "You wouldn't understand, you've never felt love for anyone, you're nothing but a callous, egotistical fool!"  
  
His eyes seemed to smile, while his mouth remained grim. "That's where you're wrong, he whispered, and bending down, he whispered, "I do feel love."  
  
He pressed his lips to hers. Unconsciously, her arms wound themselves around him, and in that fleeting moment, they became one, shrouded in the last gleaming rays of the sunset.  
  
Sorry, still don't have much time to update. Will try writing sooner. Am working on revising my other stories, which suck. Oh well. I guess this one isn't that great either. Being on a math team and orchestra, both of which are going to national conferences, takes a lot out of you. And yes, I am extremely conceited about it. ~Wolfshade 


	6. IMPORTANT

Sorry, everyone. I'm officially quitting fanfic.net. I've been working on a novel of my own that I hope to get published, so I just don't have enough time. However, my cousin Alexis' going to start working on the stories instead (although she'll be starting over.) Her penname is Flaming Drake.  
  
I apologize for any inconvenience. Oh, yes...Alex adds that she wants at least 20 reviews per chapter or she'll quit working on Demon Reincarnate and Sesshoumaru's Bane.  
  
Wolfshade 


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